My dear Friday Fictioneer friends, I’ve missed this so much! I took off last minute to Israel, to see my daughter and help her move. She is expecting our first grandchild, and there was a lot happening all at once– so I surprised her for her 25th birthday, and showed up to lend a hand. Besides a lack of hot water, there was limited wi-fi and virtually no free time– so I’ve missed the past couple of weeks of writing and reading… and I really did miss it! What a thrill to tune in this morning and see that my photo is featured this week! It was taken on the final state of our trek to Machu Picchu, three summers ago. That is my daughter and dog that followed us for several miles. We named him Machu. This story is dedicated to my daughter, who has always walked boldly in the world.

In the meantime, a post I wrote just before I left, about my work at Hospice, was featured on Huffington Post while I was away. I was informed that it “officially went viral.” I was so grateful that the patient whose work was included in the piece, got to see it do so well. He died on Saturday, feeling very good about his poem being featured.

Friday Fictioneers is masterfully run and wrangled by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields. Find more details, more stories, and join along by visiting her blog: Addicted to Purple. Sorry for the long intro! Just excited to be back with my FF peeps! Honest, positive or constructive feedback is always appreciated.

Sarah packed her favorite sweater and her softest t-shirts, tucking socks and underwear near the top of her bag. Her journal, filled with her dreams and thoughts, she placed in last– knowing there would be new pages to write.

She kissed her parents at the door. “I’d really like to walk to the train station on my own,” she told them.

She didn’t want teary goodbyes and drama.

Callie, her faithful companion for 15 years, followed her to the end of the street. As Sarah walked away, the old dog’s tail thumped, her soft whimper filled with love and loss.

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About Dawn Quyle Landau

Mother, Writer, treasure hunter, aging red head, and sushi lover. This is my view on life, "Straight up, with a twist––" because life is too short to be subtle! Featured blogger for Huffington Post, and followed on Twitter by LeBron James– for reasons beyond my comprehension.

I can’t deny… we did have a 15 year old dog named Callie, but she may be a metaphor for me in this piece. 😉 Thanks so much for your feedback H! You’ve been on my mind, but I have been go, go, going since our chat!! xo

This is really beautiful, Dawn. Nice softness to it. I could hear the whimpering of the dog. Congrats on your viral post!! That’s so awesome. And a new grandchild!!! How exciting for you. You must be over the moon.

Brave, bold, and bittersweet – this story made me smile. Thanks for the prompt. It was truly inspirational. Welcome back. I’ve been absent for a couple of weeks myself. Like you, I miss it when life takes over.

Thanks Honie. I fell like I have so much catching up to do… that posting a story would have been unfair. I could not have read anyone’s stories over the past few weeks– I’m barely catching up now! I was home for 3 days, and we hosted an annual party for 45. I cleaned up that mess and got on a plane yesterday for a pre-planned visit with family… man! I can empathize with gerbils right now! 😉 Thanks so much for stopping by; I’ll be over to yours shortly.

Glad to see you back! And congrats again to you and your daughter.
I know you probably have a lot to catch up on, but I was thinking of you when I wrote my post this week……whenever you get a chance, I’d love to hear your thoughts 😉

I will absolutely head over there, as soon as I can M. I’m touching base quickly here, but hope to do some reading and catching up on favorite blogs (of which yours has long been one!) tonight. I had it flagged in my save folder. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by. xo

OK, this just made me cry, for many reasons. Guess I would have flunked the tearless goodbye! What a beautiful parallel. A whole new world is beginning for all of you! Oh how exciting to be anticipating the first baby of the next generation! But nobody will ever believe that you’re old enough to be a grandmother; not if they’ve seen you in person!

I felt the unspoken thoughts in your story that you hinted at so subtly with the journal Sarah packed last. And she didn’t want ‘teary goodbyes’, even though I believed there were some tears hidden somewhere out of sight. It is a masterful stroke to suggest emotions without ever directly alluding to them. Perhaps it was inspiration derived from a photo of your own experience that elevated your game. Whatever it was, the unstated feelings were palpable. My single-word critical comment – Wow!

Finally, congratulations on the grandma thing! I think grandchildren are the biggest payoff for having children, and that is the voice of experience talking. 🙂 – Mike

Dawn, thanks for the photo prompt, it really brought out some interesting, sad, and crazy stories. I, too, hate goodbyes and usually just “disappear” if I can so can really relate to Sarah. Although, like Mike said, I’m sure the tears were there. Well done.

Congrats on your daughter’s pregnancy, how wonderful! Love the photo and the story. I think it is harder to wriy about a photo of people we know than one that forces us to make something completely up. Great job!

Congratulations, Dawn, on the new grandchild that’s coming and on your story that went viral. This is a lovely story and a tribute to your daughter, whose picture you used. Well done as always. 🙂 — Suzanne

Dear Dawn, WOW too! Love your story, the picture prompt. Your stories are always entertaining and thoughtful. You did a nice thing for the dying man – You have a gift of being able to touch peoples lives with your memorable words! Loved it! Nan 🙂

So many things to say…
Welcome back! I hope your travels were fun as well as busy; that sounds like a lovely surprise for your daughter, and congratulations to her (and you) on the impending good news! Meanwhile, a Huffington Post and viral-ness … another wow and yet more congrats in order there.
And that’s before I’ve even got to your photo, which is beautiful and which I couldn’t resist, even from the green pastures of Mexico, let alone the frozen wasteland here in Toronto, and your story, which is filled with so much love and truth. I’ve been that daughter, one day I hope to be that mother – in both cases the letting go shows the strength of the love, not a weakness in it.

Jennifer, thank you, thank you, and thank you some more. I appreciate all of your kind tidings and well wishes. The gig as a featured blogger on HP has been a distinctly mixed bag, to be honest… great exposure, of course, but a little more pressure in regards to putting out work, and the feedback I can expect. It was a huge surprise to see that particular post do so well– but it was a particularly special piece, so that much nicer to have it get some good exposure.

Again, thank you so much for all of your kind words; they are much appreciated!

I’m happy to see your link back in the Hollywood Squares as Russell calls them. As a mother I felt the firsthand reality in this story. There comes that time of letting go that rips at our hearts and, at the same time, makes us with pride. The addition of the dog in the story added to my tears. There’s nothing like the tender faithful love in those brown eyes, is there? Beautifully written as I’ve come to expect. (I hope this all makes sense from this emotional cat herder.)

Letting our children go is one of the most difficult things, but has to be done, if they are to grow and flourish. As a nearly new grandmother (my granddaughters are 4 years old) I can feel your excitement at the prospect of a grandchild. I can’t put into words the feelings I have for mine, I was taken by surprise at the hold they took of my heart from the minute I first saw them.
Great story Dawn and a lovely photo.

Thanks so much Dee. Yes, it is a bittersweet thing indeed to have to let our children go… even with the pride and excitement I fell in watching them live their lives. Thanks for taking the time to read and comment.

Wonderful. I can empathise so easily with your characters – thinking back to my own youthful departures, and, like you, staying behind while my own young ones set off. I love how you’ve used old Callie to carry the emotions.

Your writing has such a smooth, easy flow to it. This is a beautiful snapshot in time. I remember leaving home and the pain and tears in my mother’s heart. Then our own children grew and flew the nest. I suppose that’s the natural order of things. Congrats on the grandchild. They’re a blast.

Thanks os much Janet. It’s a really exciting time for us… though it’s so hard having our girl so far away! A grandchild will make that even harder. 😦 Seeing this photo of my girl, walking away is bitter sweet for sure. I’m so glad you liked the story.

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Mother, Writer, treasure hunter, aging red head, and sushi lover. This is my view on life, "Straight up, with a twist––" because life is too short to be subtle! Featured blogger for Huffington Post, and followed on Twitter by LeBron James– for reasons beyond my comprehension.